Ice on Immigration: The Congress and
Immigration in 2010
By L. Patricia Ice, Featured
Columnist
Question: Is there any proposed
federal legislation that might improve the plight of undocumented
immigrants and others that the US Congress will address in 2010?
Answer: There is proposed legislation
and, hopefully Congress will discuss and pass some of it in 2010. One
major piece of legislation is called the Development, Relief and
Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The DREAM Act, reintroduced by
a bipartisan group in the U.S. House and Senate in March 2009, addresses
the situation faced by young undocumented people who were brought to the
United States as children and have since grown up here, stayed in school
and have not had any trouble with the law. There have been about 65,000
students raised in the U.S. in each of the past few years who would
qualify for immigration relief under the DREAM Act. These include honor
roll students; talented athletes; artists and scientists; and aspiring
teachers; physicians; attorneys; and military personnel. They are young
people who have lived the majority of their lives in the United States,
but due to their undocumented status are unable to work; most cannot
study legally in this country, and they live in constant fear of
detection and deportation by immigration authorities. The DREAM Act
would apply to eligible undocumented immigrants between the ages of 16
and 35. It would allow these young people to seek lawful permanent
residence and citizenship and get on with their lives in the only
country they have really ever known.
Another piece of legislation was
introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Luis
Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois on December 15, 2009. H.R. 4321 is
called the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and
Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP). The legislation contains six parts
called titles:
Title 1 focuses on Border Security,
Detention and Enforcement. One of the provisions of Title 1 repeals the
so-called "287(g) program" and clarifies that the authority to enforce
federal immigration law lies solely with the federal government.
Title 2 focuses on Employment Verification, which sets up a system to
employers to verify each new hire's authorization to work in the United
States.
Title 3 addresses Visa Reforms and focuses on the reduction of
existing immigrant visa backlogs for family members and workers.
Title 4 proposes an Earned Legalization Program for the
Undocumented. It creates a program providing conditional non-immigrant
(temporary) status for eligible undocumented immigrants, their spouses
and children and would be valid for six years. Those undocumented
immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes or persecution in
the United States or abroad would be ineligible for this program. If
temporary legal status is granted, however, the status could lead to
permanent residence and naturalization after the six-year period.
Requirements for adjustment of status to residency would include
demonstration of positive contributions to the United States,
comprehensive criminal and security background checks, knowledge of the
English language and civics, medical examination and payment of all
taxes. Pursuant to Title 4 there would be a special rule for those
undocumented immigrants brought to the United States before age 16 with
an accelerated path to lawful permanent residency. Title 5 would
strengthen America's workforce by establishing a Commission on
Immigration and Labor Markets to provide researched, unbiased, accurate
recommendations for future flows of workers. It would also establish
the American Worker Recruit and Match System to match qualified workers
with certain job opportunities. A key component of Title 5 would
protect foreign workers from exploitation and abuse inflicted by their
employers.
Title 6 of the CIR ASAP Act would promote the Integration of New
Americans by streamlining the naturalization process and giving
financial assistance to community-based organizations, such as the
Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA), in order to help new
Americans adjust to life in the United States.
It is important to note that President Barack Obama and his
administration support the foregoing legislative initiatives.
For more information about current
immigration legislation reformimmigrationforamerica.org,
dreamact2009.org, nilc.org and americanimmigrationcouncil.org.
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